A FORMER winner of the television show Holland's Next Top Model has won a lawsuit against Elite Model Management after she was dropped for having hips the agency considered too large.

The Amsterdam District Court ruled that Ananda Marchildon, now 25, was entitled to the main prize she won in the 2008 production of the show, a three-year contract worth 75,000 euros ($93,500).

Marchildon argued she was dismissed after only 10,000 euros worth of work because she didn't lose enough weight to please the agency.

According to the written ruling, though Marchildon had gained weight since getting the contract, she had a hip measurement of 92 centimetres when she won, and Elite could not demand that she go down to 90 centimetres. That is far smaller than the average woman's hips but not unusual in the modelling world.

"I was right, after all," she said on Wednesday in a reaction published by Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad. "I hope that makers and participants reconsider the structure of this kind of program."

Marchildon's lawyer said she would comment further after she finishes the day's shift at her new job - as a carpenter.

Next Top ModelSource:AP

The fashion industry has often faced criticism for creating unrealistic expectations about women's bodies and forcing models to undergo harmful diets.

Modelling agencies say that they respond to the demands of advertisers, and ultimately clothing customers: a model that doesn't look right won't get work.

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